UPDATED: Young Man Brutally Beaten at Rock The South Festival
UPDATE 7/26: Three men have been arrested in connection with the brutal beating of 18-year-old Reid Watts on Saturday evening (7-22) at the Rock The South Festival in Cullman, Alabama. William Joseph Vinson Jr. (20) of Harvest; Zachary Scott Taylor (21) of Athens, and Chance Marcus Alan Starling (20) of Toney were all charged with second degree assault, which is a felony.
All three men were arrested on Tuesday (7-25) in Madison County, Alabama, and later posted bail. The charge carries a penalty between 1 and 10 years in prison.
“Nothing can really justify something like that, but in this particular incident, it was something that shouldn’t normally rise to the level of violence,” Cullman Police Chief David Nassetta said. “And it speaks to the level of character of these individuals we arrested.”
Reid Watts has now been discharged from the hospital.
Original Story Below:
This weekend’s Rock The South country music festival in Cullman, Alabama was supposed to be a joyous occasion, with performers Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Travis Tritt, The Red Clay Strays, Drake Milligan, J.R. Carroll, and more taking the stage. And it was a joyous occasion most of the time, and for most patrons.
But for 18-year-old Reid Watts, it’s a different story. On Saturday evening (7-22), Watts was brutally beaten by numerous individuals after he and his girlfriend got in an altercation with another group of concertgoers who accused them of spilling drinks.
“They came up behind him and struck him and just started beating him until he was unconscious, and stomping his head in with their boots,” says girlfriend Katie Faye Hudgins. “I was just screaming, I was screaming for people to help. And I looked up and I didn’t see anybody, and I was laying there screaming bloody murder for people to come help me.”
Reid was beaten unconscious, and eventually hospitalized with a concussion, a fractured nose, and other injuries due to the assault. Reid’s mother, Kaci Howard, took to social media, pleading for individuals to come forward and help find the perpetrators.
“PLEASE help me find the cowards who did this to my son tonight at Rock the South. There were several grown men (30s-40s) who jumped on him and beat him unconscious while his girlfriend stood there screaming and crying for help,” Howard stated.
“They continued beating him while he was on the ground until security finally got to them and got Reid and Katie out of there and to an ambulance. He has a fractured nose, concussion, stitches, knots the size of softballs on the back of his head. He never even saw it coming. They jumped on him out of nowhere because one of them said he spilled a drink on him. Reid didn’t even have a drink in his hand. Anyone who’s ever met Reid knows his personality. He never meets a stranger, he can literally get along with anyone. He is a good kid and he did not deserve this. PLEASE share and help me find who’s responsible.”
Howard also shared a video of the assault.
Rock the South organizers have stepped up and are offering a $10,000 reward, plus lifetime tickets to the event for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the assault. Cullman, Alabama police had also solicited the public for information. By late Monday morning (7-24), local police said they expected charges to be filed soon, and are asking for only people who were direct witnesses to the assault to continue to come forward.
Rock The South is an independent country music festival that was founded after tornadoes ravaged the Cullman, Alabama area in 2011. Since then, the event has raised nearly a million dollars for the local community. Though in the past the festival has featured big mainstream acts such as Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, and Florida-Georgia Line, this year’s lineup had a more independent country approach.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:35 pm
Spill a beer, I recommend you don’t try that in a small town.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:40 pm
Adam, Cullman is not a “small town.” A small town is about 5k. A mid-sized city is 5-10k. Cullman is 18k, i.e. a “city.” Hope that helps.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:46 pm
According to Aldean, Macon is a small town. Might want to correct him too.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:03 pm
He can take it up with the Census, which makes interesting reading.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:12 pm
That’s funny, because the census bureau defines a small town, and it very much disagrees with you.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:49 pm
is 153,000 too much for a small town? asking for a friend
July 24, 2023 @ 2:14 pm
I was looking here, thegentile: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/05/america-a-nation-of-small-towns.html
Have fun.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:02 pm
Guys, let’s not have this devolve into another Jason Aldean back and forth discussion.
The whole, “Music lyrics are causing American youth to go crazy” was litigated back in the 90s, and the right to freedom of expression won out.
Let’s appreciate there is a young country music fan in the hospital here.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:08 pm
So glad you’re able to give your opinion on my opinion of small town violence. That seems to be more than you could do for this brutal assault.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:39 pm
….”Spill a beer, I recommend you don’t try that in a small town.”…..
I want everyone to notice the shifting of the song’s premise, that Adam is attempting to pull off, to paint the song as somehow inaccurate in its assertions.
The song’s premise is: “Hey Leftoids, you may get away with politically motivated mob violence in Portland, Seattle, etc., but if you try it in small-town America, you won’t get away with it.”
The song makes no attempt to assert that small towns have zero crime, or that small-town people are angelic in nature. It simply says, “We’re not putting up with your Marxist rioting here, and we dare you to prove us wrong.”
July 24, 2023 @ 3:59 pm
I want everyone to notice what honky is doing (and others on this website). He attempts to turn whatever post he is responding into a discussion about his fetish for communism and Marxism. A pseudo-intellectual regurgitating alt-right websites and books. The only thing missing is an advertisement for male supplements and survival food.
Aldeans song is nothing like what your wild imagination conjures up and not what Trigger is writing about. A guy who went to a concert to have a fun time ending up in a hospital. Nobody gives a fuck if its a big town or a small town. If its in Portland or Macun.
Grow the fuck up.
July 29, 2023 @ 11:20 am
I don’t blame you for feeling insecure, Blair. I would too, if my beliefs were challenged and I didn’t know how to defend them.
July 24, 2023 @ 4:06 pm
“mob violence”
Burning a flag is not violence but it’s one of the things he mentioned. Your interpretation of the song is very flawed.
July 27, 2023 @ 12:24 am
And how about the disgusting hypocrisy complaining relentlessly about “leftoid” mob violence, yet glaring silence about “seditious alt right reactionary” mob violence on Jan 6th? Really?
And as far as complaining about the liberal uproar over this tasteless video, which is no worse than the conservatives complaining about the equally tasteless W.A.P. video. More hypocrisy.
This one subject has been so corrosive.
July 27, 2023 @ 9:43 am
Yeah, and Trigger can’t shut up about it. Apparently he had a “moratorium” on the subject, but could barely last 4 articles before diving back in, and immediately locking the comment section in the most chicken shit move possible.
July 29, 2023 @ 11:23 am
Why would I compare touristic trespassing to mob violence, looting, and murder?
That would be a strange comparison. Trespassing is usually a misdemeanor.
July 24, 2023 @ 3:18 pm
I’ve read enough of Adam’s comments to see that his attempt at reasoning is “try that with a small crown”
July 24, 2023 @ 4:06 pm
Aww how cute, glad you’re thinking about me 🙂
August 2, 2023 @ 4:02 pm
He was 18 so he couldn’t drink the three men were probably drunk
August 5, 2023 @ 8:58 am
Why Adam S? Because stupid ass hillbilly white trash will gang-attack you if you happen to accidentally spill their beer. Just ridiculous. Sounds like the got the wrong guy too. If you condone this even slightly you a POS too.
August 5, 2023 @ 3:16 pm
Who would condone this disgusting act of small town violence? I also wouldn’t condone the bystanders from small towns who watched and did nothing while a young man was beaten. So much for protecting their own.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:44 pm
“There were several grown men (30s-40s) who jumped on him and beat him” Of course it was several of them. They also look to be fat asses that are only tough in a group.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:54 pm
This is horrific.
The last concert I went to – and I won’t name the artist – wasn’t his fault and it doesn’t matter – there was an air of hostility in the audience. Not sure why (maybe it was because it was right after the lockdowns were lifted), but it seemed like many in the audience were spoiling for a fight. Add in all the beer that was being consumed, and the fans got quite rowdy. They were pushing and shoving and cursing – the young lady in front of me actually got spit on.
I haven’t been to a concert since then. It really shook me, especially because I had one of my children with me.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:49 pm
I’d be curious to know the artist. Obviously not their fault, but I go to concerts/shows all the time, and one of the reasons I go so often, is because the crowds are always so nice and it’s great to enjoy music with like minded people. In the last couple months, I’ve been at jam band shows, rock shows, bluegrass shows, and the most satanic and extreme types of metal you can find; and even the metal shows are nothing but people just looking to have a good time and make friends. I’ve met nothing but caring people that would help you in a second, way before they would be looking to start a fight. I’m surprised no one at this festival jumped in to help this guy.
July 24, 2023 @ 3:09 pm
Dierks Bentley Beers on Me tour.
Again, he nor the openers are to blame.
Maybe the hostility was all about being cooped up too long.
July 24, 2023 @ 1:56 pm
Goodness, that’s awful. Please provide updates.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:00 pm
I don’t know the facts in this case but growing up around members of the Outlaws MC, I learned quick that it is better to go to a festival with a group.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:05 pm
The semen-stains who were beating that dude’s head while he was unconscious on the ground, should be charged with attempted murder, and thrown in prison for 25 years.
The rest need to be charged with Aggravated Assault.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:46 pm
I can’t stand watching mobs beat somebody like that. Depending on Alabama’s laws in regard to places that serve alcohol, if someone in that crowd had been armed, they would’ve been completely justified in using deadly force against those degenerate, redneck bastards.
July 24, 2023 @ 2:51 pm
Holy smokes…I agree with Honky! Is the sky falling?
July 24, 2023 @ 3:17 pm
100% agree.
Should be 10 years minimum. Doesn’t matter if they were drunk, kicking someone while they are down is egregious.
July 24, 2023 @ 3:04 pm
Typical cowardly behavior from a bunch of fat cowards who wouldn’t dare attack another person one-on-one. Hopefully, a fair degree of police brutality is involved in their arrest.
July 24, 2023 @ 4:10 pm
Comments closed due to excessive off-topic discussion.
I really wish people would appreciate the seriousness of these kinds of situations, and respect my wishes to stay on topic.
July 27, 2023 @ 3:38 am
Well glad the guy was able to make it. Unfortunately when you have alcohol and add some bravado, you get this..sure hope these guys do more than the standard probation, I’m thinking the full ten but they would still probably be out in 2 or 3. I had read something saying a woman was also involved in kicking him. Doesn’t seem to be one of those arrested. Kind of predictable.
July 29, 2023 @ 3:42 am
Very sad. No doubt alcohol played its part but no excuse for violence.
July 31, 2023 @ 4:29 am
I like that the festival offered an award.
I thought 10 years ago festivals were just fly-by-night, generic money grabs. Today they seem more community centric and regionally curated. Although I still prefer a regular concert opposed to abbreviated sets at a festival, they are thriving opposed to dying.